“Certainly, my Lord.” She smiled. “We have many colors. Do you have any other particular color in mind? Or do you wish only the purple ones, with nothing to add to the effect?”
Marcus waved his hand.
“I fear I would choose poorly. I shall leave such things to you.” Again, the lady smiled and nodded, reaching for her paper and a pencil. “And who am I to send these to?”
Quickly, Marcus was about to give Lady Almeria’s name and state that she was the daughter of the Marquess of Fairburn, only to recall something important.
“Before I do, might I ask for your discretion in this?”
The young woman lifted her eyes to his.
“What do you mean?”
“I do not want my name to be attached to these flowers. Even if she should come to ask you, I would require your silence on the matter.” The young woman’s eyes flared, her lips pinching, but she nodded, saying nothing by way of response. “That does not mean that I am sending these flowers to anyone I ought not to be.” Suddenly afraid the young woman thought him a rogue, sending flowers to a lady already wed, Marcus tried to explain, pushing one hand through his dark hair. “I wish my considerations to remain private at present until I am ready to declare myself. I want her to know how highly I think of her, that I admire her excessively, so that when the time comes to express my heart, she will know just how long I have held her in great affection.”
Slowly, the pinched look faded from the young woman’s expression and a tiny smile returned.
“I quite understand.” From the warmth in her tone, Marcus trusted that she believed him. “I will keep your name from these flowers and keep my silence should she ask me anything.”
Her pencil hovered over the paper, one eyebrow lifting.
Marcus smiled, satisfied all was well.
“Then please send them to Lady Almeria, daughter to the Marquess of Fairburn.”
The young lady nodded, perhaps recognizing the name.
“A very admirable young lady.”
Nodding, Marcus let his mind fill with thoughts of her.
“Yes, a very admirable young lady indeed.”
Chapter Three
“Lady Almeria.”
The butler gestured for the footman to enter, and he walked in at once, bringing with him a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Immediately, her mother let out an exclamation, while Miss Madeley, her friend who had joined Almeria for the afternoon, simply clapped her hands.
“This is the fifth bouquet you have received this week!” Lady Fairburn exclaimed. “How wonderful!”
Secretly pleased, Almeria reached out both hands to take the bouquet from the footman, lifting it to her nose and inhaling the fragrance.
“Tulips. How lovely.” Smiling, she handed them back to the footman, knowing that he would then go to arrange them somewhere suitable. “And the card?”
The butler shook his head.
“There was no card, my Lady.”
“No card?” she repeated, blinking in surprise. “Why, this is the second time that I have received flowers without a note to say who they are from. Do you think…” She cast a glance towards her mother and then to Miss Madeley. “Do you think that the card has been lost?”
Her mother began to speak, clearly irritated with whoever had delivered the flowers, chastising them for dropping the note, even though they were not present in the room to hear her. Miss Madeley, however, tilted her head.
“You say that you have receivedtwobouquets of tulips?” Speaking slowly, clearly, considering as she spoke, she narrowed her eyes a little as Almeria nodded. “And neither of these bouquets have had notes with them?”
Almeria opened her mouth to say no, only for her eyes to flare as she realized what her friend was suggesting.
“You mean to say that you believe whoever sent these flowers deliberately kept his name from them?”
